The ₦70,000 minimum wage has drawn criticism from former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who said it is woefully insufficient to cover workers’ basic expenses for accommodation, food, and transportation.
Obasanjo made the comments in his recently published book, “Nigeria: Past and Future,” in which he charged that labor leaders had betrayed workers by putting their own interests ahead of the wellbeing of the workforce as a whole.
According to the former president, Nigeria’s present economic situation is not reflected in the new minimum wage.
In the third decade of the twenty-first century, such is the state of affairs in Nigeria. For some workers, the minimum wage does not even cover the expense of transportation, let alone housing, food, and family maintenance,” he wrote.
According to the former president, a genuinely livable wage should consider the cost of living, inflation rate, and the purchasing power of Nigerian workers.
Obasanjo accused labor leaders of sacrificing workers’ interests for their own political aspirations in Chapter 17 of his book.
Read Also: Three Injured in Alleged Clash Between Security Operatives and Ijaw Youths, Asari Dokubo Reacts
Employees require more attention than they now receive. They have been denied their right for far too long. “Those who were supposed to safeguard their interests have turned against them,” he wrote.
He also attacked union officials for supposedly negotiating for their own advantages instead of standing up for decent pay and improved working conditions.
“How did it happen that a trade union leader was negotiating with a political party to be adopted as a gubernatorial candidate while in office?” Obasanjo added. In contrast to the founding fathers’ goals, the majority of union leaders are ineffectual due to their political aspirations.
Obasanjo claims that some labor leaders participate in “sabre-rattling,” which is the practice of raising noise regarding the wellbeing of employees in order to accept bribes behind closed doors and keep quiet.
The senior politician asserted, “They engage in sabre-rattling instead of negotiating for the benefit of the workers. They are called into the room, and they are given large sums of money, and they remain silent.” Since 2015, it has been the situation. Furthermore, if anything, things are becoming worse.
Obasanjo claims that “labor leaders are paid to keep quiet.”
Obasanjo further disclosed that several government representatives had publicly acknowledged bribing labor leaders to stop them from demonstrating against unjust policies.
